Jon Gilmore

Pastor, discouragement in your people is not a sign of your failure as a shepherd, nor is it a sign of their failure. It is the natural result of living in a fallen world. But God has given you the words of life to give to your flock, even in song.

Designed by God and gifted to mankind, the wonder and beauty of music is that it affords us some remarkable contrasts in corporate worship. May Christ give us the wisdom to match spiritual truths with the gift of music so that we might sing songs of biblical faithfulness and beauty for the good of His church and to the praise of His glory.

Old hymns allow us to dig deeper into our faith and add a melody to the life-giving teachings of scripture. Do you need a song of response for baptisms? There’s an old hymn for that. Are you looking for a new Christmas song about the mystery of God becoming man? There’s an old hymn for that. If your church’s music diet lacks variety, I suggest you pick up an old hymnal and seek fresh ideas.

Every moment we take to speak the truth to one another is another seed cast onto the soil of that soul. It is not for us to determine where it lands but to be faithful to spread it. We have been given the task to plant, water, care for, and cultivate – but the Lord causes the growth. That truth should encourage us.

This Christmas, ponder your position with God, ponder the praise of angels and shepherds, and ponder the Son on the cross.

Cultivating a heart tuned to worship God rightly requires that we take a fair inventory of our heart’s emotions in our worship.

For those who desire a church that sings well, the following suggestions are worth serious consideration.

My home church is in the middle of a building project. Amidst all the excitement and hopeful anticipation of future ministry in a new space, there is an equal dose of stress-inducing decisions needing to be made as unforeseen circumstances develop. Beh …